Customer Reviews

Appassionato

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yo Yo Ma is known for pushing the bounds of classical music and his new cd is no exception. He began playing cello at the age of 4, and attended Julliard, Colombia, and Harvard. His primary cello today was made by Domenico Montagnana in Venice in 1733. Ma has played all types of music, from bluegrass to tango, and Appassionato is a celebration of his versatility. Ma appears here with many longtime friends, including Emmanual Ax and Isaac Stern. His close relationships are apparent in the absolute harmony of these collaborations. His new album opens with a light tune, a theme from the recent film "Memoirs of a Geisha." It then plunges into an exploration of dynamics between Ma's cello and the piano of Kathryn Stott. Reminiscent at times of Gershwin's playful "Rhapsody in Blue," the album is highly engaging, but it varies rapidly between sweet and alluring to soulful and dramatic. "Yanzi" is a ghostly tune featuring the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese flute. Brahms "'Double Concerto', Op. 102" with Isaac Stern is the finest showcase of Ma's flair and emotion, smooth and deep, with unbelievable heights. The tracks on the album were picked by Ma himself, to "represent various aspects of love." It is a carefully crafted autobiography of works recorded from 1978 to 2006, some previously released and some new. Far from a "best of" but spanning his career, Appassionato is a journey that spans the emotions and leaves the listener without a doubt that Yo Yo Ma is one of the finest cello artists in the world.

Yo-Yo Ma performs Appassionato with superb technique, and the music on this album is sublime, mystical, sensual, optimistic, gentle and powerful at the same time. A real treat for those who seek an emotional challenge and a profound artistic experience. The more I listen to this CD the more I am astonished by the great selection of the music. It's always such a strong moment when the Cello meets the Oboe in "Gabriel's Oboe" and how they reach for each other and rise together into the most mesmerizing interaction - one is transported to a world of beautiful feelings by this music and how it is played here.

Of the thousands of albums/cds I have purchased in my lifetime -- were I to have to pick only one to keep -- this would be it.

The mark of the collection is an exquisite sensibility and technical excellence. In several of the pieces, you can feel as if your soul, rather than musical instruments, is being played -- but nothing mundane, boring, sophomoric, sentimental, or trite. The choice of material is intelligent and intuitive -- the taste of a great musician. The culmination piece by Ennio Morricone could arguably be considered the most beautiful 2 plus minutes of recorded music. It is nothing short of a cry to heaven.

Five stars -- hardly enough -- there aren't enough stars for me to rate this.

Horrible, horrible recording. Yo Yo Ma, as usual, gives a great performance. The sound engineer, Richard King, should be run out of his profession. The recording is muddled, piano and other instruments are too loud, and even the sound of the cello is occasionally distorted. You can hear Ma breathing and other distracting sounds during the course of certain songs.

Yo Yo Ma is a masterful musician. This disc only reinforces his artistry and magnificent talent. We are enjoying this disc tremendously.

This is the best I've heard from Yo-Yo Ma. You can tell these selections are his favorites by the passion with which he plays. My favorite is Cinema Paradisio. Absolutely wonderful!!!

I loved this CD even better than the Silk Road Ensemble. YoYoMa really makes that Cello sing!

I am a Yo Yo Ma fan it's true. But this CD is so satifying in so many ways. His phrasing is so touching. I feel he was born with the cello in his hands. I try to buy the music I understand. Sometimes like his Baroque CD is beyond me since I really have no music training, but as I keep playing it I come to understand and then appreciate it. I love all his CD's but this one I have to say is one of my favorites even tho' some of the music is on other CD's.

Nothing needs to be said or added about Yo Yo Ma's extraordinary ability. What sets this cd apart is its appealing and varied selection. Fresh and romantic interpretations will make you listen again and again!

Yo Yo Ma is simply fantastic, and has arrived as such a height of recognition that any production he is invovled in will be top of the line, as this is.

This is a darker collection than I expected. And like a serious, reserved friend, it can take a little longer to appreciate than the bubbly outgoing ones. I now find I like it very much, but it is serious "conversation."

There is great variety here as well, and I gave it to a friend's teenager who is considering whether she wants to learn the cello. Her response was much the same as mine. Initially not so sure, but over time, has really come to like it, too. This collection has great depth.